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The Treaty of Tortillas divided South America between Spain and Portugal giving Portugal the upper portion of the continent.
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Pedro Àlvares Cabral lands in Brazil and is able to claim the land in Portugal's name.
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Pedro Vaz de Caminha wrote to tell the king about the new land and its people. It is now a picture book called "The Letter". The letter is 27 pages long and tells about the majesty of the land, and the willingness of the locals to get along with the Portuguese and adapt their customs.
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From 1500 to around 1550 the Portuguese began harvesting Brazilwood and sugar. The land was divided into 15 captaincies.
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In the letter from Pedro Vaz de Caminha he talks about the willingness of the people to mimic the Portuguese's religious patterns, such as kissing the cross and rising and sitting when the Portuguese did during their services.
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France built their own colony in Brazil and overtime they slowly expanded. It wasn't until 5 years after the initial colonization began that the Portuguese realized the threat and reclaimed the land.
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Portugal and Spain two of the greatest empires at the time united under the same king.
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60 Years after coming together, Spain and Portugal are no longer under one crown.
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The treaty resettled boundaries between Spain and Portugal.
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The French invasion of Portugal forced King Joao and his son Pedo, the future king, to Brazil.
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Portugal gives kingdom status to Brazil.
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King Pedro I declares Brazil an independent country earning him the title of "The Liberator" and made himself Emperor of the Kingdom of Brazil.
